9 Surprising Ways to Be More Valuable to Your Employer

You can become more valuable to your organization. But first you have to ask yourself some very important questions.

For a business to succeed, it has to recruit, hire, and retain talented people whoconsistently bring value to the organization, and to its customers. The more value you bring with you to your job, the more valuable you are to your employer. Not only will you command a higher salary and be given better opportunities to progress than your co-workers, but when times get tough, your employer will do everything possible to ensure that your position is protected.

In her book, The Reality-Based Rules of the Workplace, business consultant, author, and trainer Cy Wakeman provides a questionnaire that you can use to quickly and easily rate the value that you bring to your organization.

And, whether you’re a front-line worker–or the CEO–you need to be adding value to your business. Says Wakeman, “That’s why simply meeting expectations is not enough if you want to get ahead. At times when there isn’t enough to go around, it becomes all the more important to be a low-drama, high-value player.”

Consider each of the questions that follows honestly, and give yourself a score of from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Remember to rate your performance as it actually is today–not what you wish it was.

1. Am I consistent in my attendance, my work, and my results?

2. Am I improving each year?

3. Am I moving forward with purpose and not resting on my past accomplishments?

4. Am I spending most of my time at work with top performers?

5. Have I recently added to my job description on my own initiative?

6. Do I set goals for myself beyond the ones my supervisor sets?

7. Do I regularly ask for feedback on my performance from my boss and my peers?

8. Does my performance compare favorably with my peers?   …..

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